


Rate Up is Always a Lie!

by lancer arthur when (gachahell)



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: M/M, Motorcycle Sex, Rate up is always a lie, don't trust gacha games, local man just wants his saberface collection and can't even do that much, very aggressive maid(?)ing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-07-06 17:11:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15890424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gachahell/pseuds/lancer%20arthur%20when
Summary: Fujimaru Ritsuka has put all of his patience into saving up quartz for summer re-runs; his goal -- a beautiful Rider class Saberface. Unfortunately, sometimes even with 2,000 quartz saved up, it's possible to miss that .7% chance of getting the rate up 5* servant.Unfortunately, sometimes you just have to live with what you get instead.





	1. Prologue (sorta)

**Author's Note:**

> I guess if people like this enough I'll write something with other Arthurs??? I really want Lancer Arthur and Lancer Alter Arthur pls and thank u fgo.
> 
> also if it matters to anyone, ritsuka is 21-ish and arthur is 25-ish.
> 
>  
> 
> we'll see how far i get w/ this story because i wanna write galahad/ritsuka too.
> 
> i wanna write so much actually im crying.

Ritsuka used to love the smell of the ocean when he was a young boy; his father and mother would take him out to play in the sea for a few days during summer vacation every year. There was certainly something nostalgic about it too, sitting out in the sand and eating ice pops with Mashu and Fou. Though it made him sad to think about just how much he'd grown since that time.

As though to pick up on his sadness, Mashu reached for his hand and smiled as she took it. He couldn't help but smile back at that, giving her hand a quick squeeze before Billy came barreling through, kicking sand up as he ran away from a frustrated Mordred.

"Get back here you son of a bitch," Mordred barked. "What are you two doing just sitting there, come on! Let's go!"

Mashu laughed as she pulled Ritsuka up to his feet, "Come on, Master!" She left no time for him to respond before dragging him along as they ran across the hot sands to try and catch the rogue gunslinger. Ritsuka himself didn't stand much of a chance against a Servant, but Billy seemed to slow down and pace himself better once he realized the game they were playing now.

Still, in the end it was only because Hector intervened that they ever caught up to him. And by that time the sun had already sunk far enough into the ocean that the sky was now a dark purple, with clusters of stars sparkling in the heavens above. It wasn't unpleasant though, Ritsuka realized as they all walked back towards where they'd abandoned the umbrella and towels with Fou. It certainly wasn't the same as going to the beach with his parents, but there was something just as special about this.

He was happy. The realization had brought him a contentment he hadn't felt in a long time.

Until he saw the news posting that the day had changed -- 

The swimsuit servant banner had returned. And plastered on the post for it, he saw an angel smiling back at him. The very same one he'd been saving up for the past year to try and bring home.

This time he knew she'd come, for sure.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rate up is a lie. Always.
> 
>  
> 
> also if you roll enough, you too can have np5 fionn for free.

It'd been a whole year since he'd started saving up for this. Temptations had come and gone -- he'd found himself clutching the Saint Quartz painfully tight during the short period that Merlin had returned -- but he'd made it! With 2,000 Saint Quartz (and a hundred tickets or so), he was confident that this time he'd finally get to meet her.

So confident, in fact, that he entirely forgot his plan to space the quartz out over time to test his luck. He immediately set to throwing it in all at once, unable to wait to meet her.

"She'll have to come! Maybe even in the first set," he chimed to Mashu, who looked on in a mixture of fear and awe. She had never seemed to approve of this part of the job -- perhaps thinking it was a terrible influence upon her friend. But she forced a supportive smile as she held Fou and looked on.

The first ten lights came; the room flickered gold. But not for a Rider -- it was a Lancer who came this time. A beautiful blond Servant with a thick Irish accent. _Fionn Mac Cumhaill_. Ritsuka shook his head, slightly disappointed, but offered the Lancer a warm smile as he welcomed him to Chaldea. There wasn't much time for a proper chat, however, as Ritsuka immediate launched himself right into the next summonings.

Only Craft Essences. But those had their uses too, sometimes. Mashu offered a pitiful smile and shrug as Ritsuka looked to her.

"Maybe it'll work better if you try," he offered, handing her the next batch. "It can't be any worse than that!" While Mashu wanted to refuse the offer, she couldn't help but notice the desperate look on his face as he pushed the quartz into her hands.

"I'll try," she answered, "But I don't know if I'm that lucky either."

The room flashed gold again -- Saber! But to Mashu's utter horror, the Servant who stepped forth was--

"Sir Lancelot!" Ritsuka choked, surprised to see that the knight. Though it wasn't who he'd been searching for, Lancelot was a mostly welcome arrival to their Chaldea. Even Mashu, for as much as she didn't seem to like the man, had on an awkward smile as he reintroduced himself to the pair. And, if nothing else, at least it hadn't been _Gawain_.

From that point on, Ritsuka's rolls could only be described as 'depressing'. 

Craft Essence after Craft Essence, Fionn after Fionn. With a few extra Lancelots thrown in here and there. He'd successfully filled up both Fionn and Lancelot's Noble Phantasm levels, all the while not landing a single swimsuit Servant out of the bunch. It was painful to watch -- to the point that Mashu'd eventually excused herself and left.

But Ritsuka refused to give up -- or maybe he simply didn't know when to quit. But with his quartz nearly depleted and the tickets entirely gone, he was nearly out of the chances he'd stocked up on. And though he could always attempt to bribe Leonardo da Vinci with the birthday money he'd gotten last month for his 21st birthday, the rational part of him knew that spending that money now probably wasn't the best idea.

But with only 70 Saint Quartz left, it was a tempting thought. And as even that number dropped lower, he grew closer and closer to running over to da Vinci's shop to try and buy some more.

But finally -- finally! -- on the last 3 quartz he had at that moment to use, a silver rider sparked gold. And the room brightened with the gold and rainbow sparks he'd been waiting to see for over an hour.

But something felt off about the whole situation, Ritsuka realized as the sparks settled.

"Servant Rider," came the stern, but familiar voice. "Arthur Pendragon."

Ritsuka choked as the king stepped forward.

"Since I've answered your summons, Master, I hope you are prepared. I won't allow any laziness on your end." As threatening as he sounded at that moment, Ritsuka wasn't entirely sure he could take it seriously given the man was wearing only his swimsuit. But Arthur continued on smiling thoughtfully, "From now on, leave the laundry and cleaning to me. I'll handle cooking as well, so long as you keep supplies stocked." 

"N-nice to meet you...?" Ritsuka wheezed, still dazed by the situation.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I guess you could say this is a match
> 
>  
> 
> maid 
> 
> in heaven

"Master."

Arthur's annoyed voice rung through the hallways clearly as he followed behind Ritsuka, not minding the glances from Chaldea staff and other Servants. His lack of clothing wasn't particularly unusual given some of the others' outfits. But still, he was one of the few still running around in his swimsuit in their base located in the middle of a blizzard. (Surely, he'd get cold eventually, wouldn't he?)

"Master," Arthur tried again, louder this time. But Ritsuka seemed to be in his own world at the moment. Even the other Servants who'd tried to greet him as they'd walked past hadn't gotten a word out of the usually cheery mage. Though, it wasn't as though this was the first time they'd seen him particularly devastated after using his Saint Quartz.

"That's enough sulking." Arthur finally snapped. "I expected someone helpless, but I didn't imagine my Master would be this bad."

"And I was expecting a maid, but we can't always get what we want," Ritsuka shouted back, finally fed up. In most situations, he wouldn't have been disappointed to have summoned a powerful Servant. Really, the fact that he'd even managed to get one -- he was grateful for that much. But between the crushing disappointment of failing to get his dream girl, and Arthur Pendragon (Alter) breathing down his neck ever since being summoned, the frustration had gotten overwhelming. And he was at his breaking point now.

"Oh-?" Arthur hissed, "How impudent of you, Master." The tension heightened between the two of them to the point that Ritsuka considered casting Gandr to get away, but thankfully that wasn't needed as help finally arrived.

"Ritsuka! I heard that you'd finally summoned--" Mashu stopped in her tracks as she looked at the two men glaring each other down.

"Yeah, what's this about you bringing my father to Chaldea finally," Mordred added, unfazed by any of what was going on. Arthur blinked and stood down, though the look he shot Ritsuka from the corner of his eye was nearly enough to send a shiver down the mage's spine.

"You must be this world's Mordred," he mused, "Undisciplined a son as ever." Mordred's face went red at that.

"And I didn't think it was possible for you to have a shittier personality," Mordred barked back, bristling at the insult. Mashu put her hand on Mordred's arm, but it was nearly too late. Arthur had unknowingly -- or knowingly -- set him off. "Besides, what sort of pervert runs around in their swimsuit like that."

"It's practical for summertime," Arthur responded with a shrug, brushing off Mordred's insults. "But as for your language--"

"Your majesty," Lancelot interjected, throwing himself into the conversation before anything more came of it. "It is good to see you again. Though, you aren't quite the king I served..." For once, Mashu looked at the man in approval of his actions, and his face burned just a little pinker upon noticing that.

"Hurry Mordred," Mashu urged, grabbing Ritsuka as well while Lancelot attempted to converse with Arthur. The trio slipped away, only by the grace of Lancelot holding off the king in conversation long enough for them to get around the corner and run.

"He's a menace," Ritsuka cried, shaking his head as he sat along the hallway wall. "I can't believe I had to summon a Servant like him!" 

"Welcome to my world," Mordred groaned. "I guess no matter what form Father is in..."

"M-maybe he isn't so bad? We really don't know him that well yet," Mashu tried, but both Ritsuka and Mordred rolled their eyes at that suggestion. From what Ritsuka could remember about Arthur, he hadn't seemed so bad a man. But this Rider version was absolutely merciless. In under an hour, he'd already nagged Ritsuka about nearly every flaw he could think of. And then some.

"I don't know. I think rare prisms are sounding pretty good right about now," Ritsuka sighed. At least with those he would have been able to do something useful. There were some wonderful Craft Essences he could buy -- or those new golden Fous everyone had been using lately. Mordred was already done with her stat enhancements, but now Ritsuka had Lancelot and Fionn to catch up as well. Not that he minded.

"It's too soon to know that," Mashu scolded. "Why don't you take him out on a daily mission or something? Get to know him a little better. And when you aren't in such a bad mood over your summoning mess." Out of the three of them, she was certainly the one offering the most reasonable suggestion, but Ritsuka couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed over the insistence on not turning Arthur into rare prisms.

"Fine. I'll try." He conceded. "But if it doesn't work out, I'm going straight to da Vinci about him." 

And with that, Ritsuka stood up to go, reluctantly, search for Arthur. And maybe Fionn and Lancelot if he could find them as well, since all three Servants were new enough that they could use the practice. Not to mention Ritsuka was eager to test out their skills in actual combat rather than looking at their descriptions only.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grinding for levels is tough.
> 
> also does this mean i'm throwing in a mashu/mordred tag??? who knows. It's there. If you squint.

Fionn was kind about it when Ritsuka had sought him out to invite him along for the day. It wasn't as though he had anything else arranged to do for the time being, but he was quick to accept the invitation, and offered Ritsuka a genuine smile as he offered his strength for whatever his Master might need of him. Admittedly, Ritsuka wasn't overly familiar with Fionn's background, but the man seemed noble enough that the offer was greatly welcomed. Especially with the growing headache Ritsuka had been suffering since he'd thrown all his quartz away summoning.

Next on the list was Lancelot, whom he found wandering the hallways quietly. Unlike Fionn, Ritsuka knew a little more about Lancelot; he'd been a knight of the Round Table, but after falling in love with the king's wife... Camelot fell into ruin; Arthur eventually died and so had the rest of the knights. Mashu -- and/or Galahad -- seemed not to bother quite so much with that fact so much as the fact that he could hardly keep to himself. Especially around any lovely lady.

"Training," Lancelot repeated, crossing his arms as he thought on it. "Yes, you're right. It'll be good practice for you as well." He offered a fatherly smile. He didn't seem particularly bothered by the fact that his parameters were currently lower than normal, given Chaldea's method of summoning, as far as Ritsuka could see. That at least made him somewhat more agreeable than some of the others (read: Gilgamesh) who'd made their displeasure clearly known amongst the staff.

"We're almost ready, so if you need anything, please grab it now," Ritsuka added, "I need to... I need to go find Rider. He should probably come along too." The last bit was added with a strong amount of reluctance; Ritsuka didn't particularly want to go seek out Arthur at the moment. Especially not with how they were getting along. But somehow he'd managed to survive Gilgamesh, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to survive this one too.

"Shall I accompany you then, Master?"

Lancelot didn't leave much room for Ritsuka to refuse the offer, already starting to follow behind him as he moved to walk away. But it wasn't as though Ritsuka had ever intended to send the knight away either. If anything, he was a welcome presence -- no matter how much Mashu complained about him. At the very least, he at least knew how to speak with Arthur better than Ritsuka could. And that was a valuable skill at the moment.

"I don't see him anywhere," Ritsuka groaned, running further ahead to glance around the corner. No one he'd asked along the way had seemed to see the Rider either. Which was unusual given the man was running around in little more than his swim trunks at the moment. Someone would have had to noticed at least that much -- or maybe not given the manner of some of the Servants' outfits here.

"I doubt he's gotten lost," Lancelot replied calmly. "He must be doing something right now. Maybe it would be best to carry one without him for the moment?"

It was a tempting thought, Ritsuka had to admit. Unintentionally, he'd been dragging his feet in going to find Arthur anyways. And for a low level quest like this trial one, Fionn and Lancelot would have been able to handle it all by themselves anyways. And that was if there wasn't any outside support -- which there undoubtedly would be just in case something went wrong.

"You're right. We don't need Arthur with us anyways," Ritsuka shrugged. "I'll take him along later with a different group. Maybe Osakabehime...?" He pushed those thoughts back for now, refocusing himself on the present. Lancelot waited patiently for him to make up his mind, standing stiff and alert as he looked on. Perhaps he sensed something, Ritsuka wondered, or maybe that was just how he normally stood and he'd just never noticed it before now. For all the bad things Mashu spoke of the man, he was still a knight. The thought lingered in his mind the entire walk back to Fionn, who was standing off to the side talking with Mashu until they arrived.

"You couldn't find Arthur?" Mashu asked, raising an eyebrow at Ritsuka. Though she asked the question innocently enough, he could sense that she was scolding him for not trying harder. He shrugged, half-apologetically, half-unfazed by her disappointment. He hadn't gone out of his way to avoid finding Arthur. He simply hadn't looked as hard as he probably needed to.

"This is fine for now," Fionn declared, putting a hand on Ritsuka's shoulder and grinning. "As the captain of the Fianna, I am be more than capable of ensuring your safety, Master. And that Saber there is more crafty than he lets on; should anything happen to me, I'm sure you'll be in good hands with him." Mashu made a face at the compliment towards Lancelot, but she didn't say anything to refute the claim. Perhaps, deep down, even she recognized that he could have some use when he tried.

"Hunting embers with such a small party would be pitifully ineffective," came the snide remark. Ritsuka nearly groaned at the voice and reluctantly turned to face Arthur. "As our Master, you should consider the span of time each run takes you in order to set up an efficient system. Otherwise you'll just be wasting your time and our energy."

"We're not in any particular rush at the moment," Fionn defended, narrowing his eyes. "And besides, this is merely a practice run for the moment for him to grow accustomed to working with us -- and us to grow accustomed to his orders." The tension in the room swelled as both king and captain stared each other down, but both Mashu and Lancelot were quick to interject themselves.

"Anyways, we've got a few spare embers left over from the last time, so I thought it might be helpful if you distribute them," Mashu suggested. "There should be just enough to make sure all three of them are ready for this quest. It isn't difficult, but I thought it might help things go a little faster." She didn't need to bring up safety this time -- Ritsuka already knew that was implied as well.

"Thanks, Mashu." He smiled sincerely at her. "Think you can keep an eye on Mordred while I'm gone too? Who knows what that troublemaker will get into if we don't keep an eye on him." He added a wink, watching her blush as she stumbled for something to say back to that. But all she could do was shove the embers into his arms before scurrying off.

"Well... I guess we better get going," Ritsuka sighed, his shoulders drooping as he looked over the three Servants staring back at him curiously.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which arthur watches ritsuka watching fionn while things get handsy

Layshifting always left Ritsuka with a weak headache, no matter how many times he did it; even now, he felt his temples throbbing lightly as he steadied himself against Fionn to stop from falling over.

"Are you feeling alright to continue, Master," Fionn asked quietly. The others looked on questioningly, Lancelot's brow furrowed in concern. Arthur said nothing as he looked on, but Ritsuka could feel his golden eyes boring holes into him.

"I'm fine. I just needed a second to breathe. Thank you," Ritsuka answered, shaking his head as the throbbing subsided. It was gone as quickly as it'd come, and he was grateful for that. He hadn't quite realized how close he'd gotten to Fionn when he'd grabbed onto him to steady himself. He'd practically pressed his face into the man's chest.

"If you need a break, speak up. Our job is to ensure your safety just as much as it is to fight," Fionn reminded him. Mashu had said similar things plenty of times before, so Ritsuka merely nodded. "I will protect you, as I had protected Erin in the past. You've nothing to fear."

"At your level, I'd hardly say that much," Arthur corrected. Fionn's smile faltered for a brief second. "However, as you said. This is about practice for the moment. It's better than doing nothing at all, as the records show you tend to do, Master."

Ritsuka stepped back away from Fionn and scowled at the remark; certainly, he had gotten a little lazy regarding Layshifts lately. Da Vinci had said something similar to him only a week ago. But hearing it from Arthur instead of her irked him in a way he couldn't quite describe. What did he know anyways, he'd only just arrived to Chaldea today.

Before either of them could continue, the first bunch of hands emerged from within the thicket. Lancelot was the first one to draw his sword, cutting down the first one that dared to draw too near to the group before motioning with his hand for Ritsuka to get back. He deftly blocked the heated blast from the next one with the flat of his blade and countered, taking down another hand. He made it look easy.

But it wasn't Lancelot's fighting that caught Ritsuka's eye -- he could see that Lancelot was perfectly capable of fighting on his own at the moment without much assistance. From what he'd seen before, he knew the man wouldn't need his help so much as the others might. And with his current stats, there wouldn't be much trouble here so long as he would able to use his Noble Phantasm if things went south.

It was Fionn that he could hardly pull his eyes away from. Watching the man rush the nearest hand with his lance, he really was the embodiment of beauty and grace for a split second. But that wasn't what caught Ritsuka's attention -- it was his confidence. He wasn't particularly strong yet, despite how he carried on about being the captain of the Fianna. But he fought with everything he had and made it work. He wasn't nearly as quick as Lancelot in defeating the hands, but at his own pace he seemed to almost dance about the field as he felled foe after foe.

Their eyes met as Fionn finally noticed Ritsuka staring at him while he worked; he winked and continued on about his business, but Ritsuka felt his face burn red. As he'd said himself, Fionn truly was a beautiful man. And, embarrassingly enough, Ritsuka could attest to his strength -- at least from what he'd felt of his muscles just a few minutes ago. He wasn't entirely Ritsuka's type, but... He certainly wouldn't have complained if he came to fancy him.

His daydreams, however, were brought to a strict halt by a bullet just narrowly whizzing past his face.

"Master, get off the field if you aren't assisting. You're in the way," Arthur barked. Ritsuka nearly shouted back at him for having tried to shoot him -- but he turned to see the remains of a hand slowly fading as it left its embers on the ground for them. Whether he liked it or not, Arthur had probably just saved him. Or maybe he'd simply seen it as his duty to take down the enemy while gathering embers.

Either way, Ritsuka was quick to scramble to the sidelines, hiding his face in embarrassment as Arthur's golden eyes followed him the entire way. Whereas Lancelot and Fionn had to focus as they fought, Arthur seemed to handle the situation with ease as he watched his Master run back to the sidelines. For all their best efforts, not a hand was laid upon him as he cleared out their numbers with Secace.

Only once the field was entirely cleared of hands did the Servants relax somewhat. None of them seemed particularly tired from the training, although both Lancelot and Fionn's skin shone with sweat from the heat. Arthur, given his lack of clothes, wasn't bothered at all by it. His expression hadn't changed either, his eyes still watching Ritsuka sharply as he moved over to speak with Fionn and Lancelot once more.

"That was amazing," Ritsuka chirped, "You looked so cool fighting with those hands!" His eyes were practically sparkling as he quickly spoke. Lancelot responded in kind with an easy smile, and then a glance backwards towards Arthur, but Fionn seemed to be much more encouraged by the praise given.

"It's only natural for me. I'm rather strong, even in this state." Fionn laughed, not even bothering to pretend to be humble as he accepted the praise. If it'd been anyone else, Ritsuka might have been annoyed by how quick he was to agree. But he still found himself strangely flustered by the man.

"You hardly helped at all," Arthur cut in. "Those hands you defeated were already weakened by my bullets. Hadn't you noticed they were of the Saber class?" He scoffed as he came closer, sizing Fionn up. The two of them were exactly the same height, but as Ritsuka examined both, he was surprised to find that Arthur appeared slightly bigger than Fionn. His muscles didn't quite stand out the way that Fionn's did, but he certainly had his own strength about him.

"Regardless," Fionn coughed, "I'll leave it up to our Master to decide what he thinks. He should be the one arranging our parties from now on anyways." Lancelot raised an eyebrow, but continued to say nothing as he looked from captain to king, and then to his Master.

"I think," Arthur retorted, "That where you belong is on the bench. You've done nothing of help; any other Servant could have just as easily handled that. In fact, it would have gone quicker had we picked another to begin with. You spent so much time showing off, you hardly focused on fighting at all. Had I not been around, my Master might have been injured because of your carelessness."

Fionn opened his mouth to argue back, not wanting to back down from the challenge that Arthur had set. But at that moment, the trees began to rustle again. Silence fell over both Fionn and Arthur; Lancelot stood at full alert once more as he drew his sword to prepare. Even Ritsuka looked around at the trees surrounding the clearing wildly. He couldn't see anything yet, but he could sense it. Something big had come.

"Lancelot," Arthur started, pushing Ritsuka back behind himself. The knight nodded as he stepped forth, just in time to meet the harsh gaze of a Lamia Queen. She hissed loudly as she coiled her tail around herself, watching as the Servants drew their weapons to face her. She must have sensed it as well as Ritsuka had -- they were no match for her at this point.

"We can't fight her. We need to run," Ritsuka urged, tugging at Arthur's arm. Lancelot spared a look backwards towards them and Fionn took up his lance to move beside him.

"Your majesty, you're probably the one who'll be able to get him out of here the fastest. Support won't make it in time," Lancelot started, refocusing his gaze on the lamia as she swerved back and forth, looking for an opening. He grip on his sword tightened -- he seemed to sense their doom if they were to face her like this too.

"So long as our Master lives, it will be fine," Fionn called. "If you can do it, get him away from here and back to Chaldea, Rider." The monster hissed and hummed as it began to circle around the group now, the coils of tail untangling as she began to show just how long she truly was. How Lancelot and Fionn were still able to face her like that, Ritsuka wasn't exactly sure. But they didn't hesitate to face her testing strikes, glancing them off of their weapons.

"Master," Arthur growled, grabbing him quickly. Ritsuka hardly had time to react as he was thrown atop a motorcycle he didn't remember ever being there. But Arthur gave him no time to question it, holding onto him as he hopped on and sped off, firing only as many shots as he needed to make sure the lamia kept her tail out of their escape route.

They only managed to catch the first few notes of her song, thankfully, but the motorcycle shook and threatened to fall as he struck it. But it wasn't the machine that'd taken the brunt of the blow -- Arthur was breathing heavily over Ritsuka's body as he hissed in pain. Not once, though, did he stop.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be a quick thing between these two. It got slightly bigger. I'm sorry to keep you all waiting.

"Are you safe, Master," Arthur huffed out. The motorcycle slowed to a halt, jerking as Arthur set his foot down on the ground and let it drag along. Ritsuka couldn't properly turn his head to see the state that Rider was in, but he could tell from his ragged breaths that he'd taken a bad hit from the lamia as they'd escaped.

"I'm... Fine." Ritsuka choked out, pushing against Arthur as he tried to sit himself back up; Arthur didn't budge, and instead Ritsuka simply ended up laying his head back against the man's chest. "But I need to see your injuries. Fionn and Lancelot... They might not be able to hold the lamia off for long. And if you're hurt, she'll catch up to us quickly."

"I'm fine." Arthur hissed through his gritted teeth. "This is nothing for a butler such as I." Yet Ritsuka could see his hands tighten around the grips of the motorcycle. He didn't feel the wetness of blood against his back yet, but Arthur felt warm against him. Warmer than usual, even.

"Arthur," Ritsuka warned, struggling to turn himself around. But as he shifted in the seat, Arthur growled and forced him to still once more. His fingers dug tightly into the bone of Ritsuka's shoulder and his breath brushed against Ritsuka's neck in its ragged puffs as he sat himself back up. It was only then that Ritsuka realized just how close the two of them were, and managed to finally catch a glimpse at Arthur's reddened face and cloudy eyes.

"You're charmed!" 

Arthur shook his head at the accusation, but the signs were clear to Ritsuka now. Between the abnormal heat of his body and his unfocused gaze as he peered down at Ritsuka, it was easy to discern the symptoms now that Ritsuka knew what he was looking at. But as easily as he could have handled the status effect in any other situation, he didn't have the time to try and coach Arthur out of it right now. Nor did he have the time to wait for it to wear off on its own.

"Master." Arthur half-whined against the back of his neck, leaning on him just enough that his weight pressed Ritsuka down further against the motorcycle. "Master."

Ritsuka's own head was beginning to swirl as he became acutely aware of Arthur's hands on him. For as rough as the man was, he was careful as he slid one hand up Ritsuka's shirt and used the other to keep him in place. His lips hovered dangerously close to Ritsuka's neck now, and he could almost feel the brush of his soft lips against the sensitive skin there. All the while, Arthur was in a trance of repeating his name, the single threads holding him back beginning to snap under the weight of the charm.

But knowing that the lamia was still somewhere out there, and that they'd left Fionn and Lancelot to fend for themselves, Ritsuka cleared his head of distracted thoughts. Squirming just enough in Arthur's grasp, he managed to get a hand up to push his face away while he wiggled forward to try and get off the bike. Arthur hesitated just long enough for him to free his legs, but pulled him back sideways as he tried to run for it.

"Arthur, not now! That lamia is still out there!" Ritsuka shouted, raising his hand again. Without thinking, he slapped Arthur right across the face with it. It wasn't enough to do any real damage to the Servant, but his eyes unclouded as clarity returned to him. It was just in time too, as the lamia broke through into the clearing again.

"Master, stand back," Arthur ordered, gun and sword (floatie) immediately in hand as he dismounted the bike. There was hardly any time for Ritsuka to call him back before Arthur began the chant for his Noble Phantasm.

He'd seen Artoria's from the support Servants he'd borrowed over time, and Arthur's wasn't particularly different. But it was still breathtaking to watch how effortless he made it seem. And even without any ascension or skill use, Arthur managed to fell the lamia by himself in one shot. (Something in the back of Ritsuka's mind reminded him that Lancelot and Fionn had likely weakened the beast, but none-the-less he was still shocked.)

"That's one job finished," Arthur smiled, bowing as though to thank the lamia as the body vanished. He turned back to Ritsuka and did the same, only the bow was deeper and slower. "For a Master like yourself -- no, you did a good job this time. You were almost half-way decent. But your timing for dispelling that charm ailment was pitiful compared to your usual records."

Ritsuka could really only smile back, the corner of his mouth twitching at the added insult. He didn't expect to be able to get along with Arthur so well right away, of course, but it really did seem like it was going to be a long while before the two of them were going to be able to get along. If ever.

"Oh, you're both alright!" Lancelot shouted as he pushed the branches of bushes aside and rushed over to the pair. Fionn trotted behind him slower, taking his time to get to the group.

"Naturally. I would never let anything befall my Master." Arthur answered, straightening himself up as Fionn drew closer. "Though the both of you failed at keeping the lamia away from the two of us. I'd suggest training again. More seriously this time." He crossed his arms as he sized Fionn up again, eyes daring him to say something back.

Ritsuka coughed, "Now might be the best time for us to head back to Chaldea for today. I'm not sure why that lamia showed up here, but we shouldn't stick around just in case anything else decides to come along." None of the Servants argued in response to that; they, too, were worn out from the earlier excitement.

"Are you unharmed, Master," Fionn asked quietly as they made their way back. "As soon as you took off with Rider, the lamia ran into the forest after the pair of you. Saber and I tried to chase her down as best we could, but by the time we'd found you -- the lamia was already dead. I'm guessing Rider had something to do with that?"

"O-oh, I'm fine! He used his Noble Phantasm," Ritsuka nodded. "You and Lancelot must have weakened her for him, though. He took her down in one shot." He flashed a mischievous smile to Fionn, who smiled gently back in turn as they walked along. Ritsuka hadn't noticed it when he'd first come into the clearing but he seemed to limp as he went.

"Are you alright? I don't have anything to heal you, but I'll make sure Da Vinci takes care of you when we get back," Ritsuka asked in a hurry. Fionn gave him a confused look before shrugging and laughing.

"This? This is nothing for a knight such as myself. It merely aches since it's been so long since I've last been out like this, " Fionn explained. "Besides, it would be a sorry sight if I allowed such a scratch to stop me."

Arthur snorted, but Ritsuka gave a sympathetic nod.

"For the next time, though," Fionn continued, winking. "If you are so concerned about my well-being. Perhaps you should offer a charm for luck to protect me." A sly smile grew on his face as he laughed; Arthur's eyes narrowed at him.

"A charm? I don't have anything like that on me." Ritsuka warned. "Maybe you can try asking Mashu? Or Da Vinci can make something for you to use, too."

"It doesn't have to be a literal charm. Something such as this works just as well." And with that, Fionn leaned forward to touch his lips against Ritsuka's, letting them linger there briefly before placing another one onto his cheek. Ritsuka's face burned bright red as he placed a hand over his lips. "This one was belated, but I'm sure next time you'll remember for me."

Lancelot turned just in time to catch Arthur's scowl; the butler king was bristling as though someone'd stolen his ice pops from him. It was a reaction he knew well, and he could really only sigh as he made a mental note to pull Ritsuka aside and talk to him about it later. As much as Arthur portrayed himself as the perfect butler, his temper could still prove dangerous. And from what Lancelot was seeing, Fionn was going out of his way to provoke him now.


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur ascends. So does Ritsuka. Butlers are good civilization.

After the, slightly, disastrous test run Ritsuka had with Fionn, Lancelot, and Arthur, he decided it best to allow them to rest up. The first time running embers was always difficult, especially for Servants who'd still yet to reach their full potential. And, to be honest, it was much easier for Ritsuka to resort back to using his usual ember farming team. While making sure that he wasn't out of practice with other Servants, and knew how to work with all of them, was important, there were occasions when he simply didn't have the time or patience to. And given the way today had gone, both of those were the case.

For all his troubles though, the ember farming did pay off in the end. He hadn't taken the time to carefully calculate just how many were actually needed to max each Servant, but having been doing this for so long, he knew it wasn't a task to be done all at once. Especially when doing so many runs at once made his head throb from all the Layshifting needed. It tired him out easily; he often awoke the next day with a painful migraine as well as a result.

So, although he came back from ember gathering cradling his head in his hands, it was worth it to see the fruits of his efforts. Fionn was no longer only running around in his skin-tight black shirt; he now had a clean plate of silver armor covering his chest. Which he made sure that Diarmuid saw as he'd walked past in the hallway. (Ritsuka couldn't help but feel slightly bad for the other Irish Lancer). Lancelot, on the other hand, now had a suit of armor that -- in Ritsuka's opinion -- much better fit him than the first. The eggplant purple had been slightly awkward, and the silver made him much easier to tell apart from his Berserker form.

And then there was Arthur.

Ritsuka's expectations hadn't been particularly high for the self-proclaimed butler. He seemed the sort to pick out something more practical to wear, despite the fact that he'd been running around Chaldea in nothing more than his swim trunks all day. It only made sense with how he carried himself that he'd select something appropriately suiting for his ego.

However, what he was wearing now wasn't quite what Ritsuka had imagined. It was a butler's outfit, in a way, but not in the way Ritsuka had thought it would have looked. The shirt and vest were cut off well above Arthur's stomach, ensuring that his abs were still very much in view to anyone who happened to look over, and his shorts were so tiny they left very little to the imagination. On top of that, he'd gone so far as to add matching socks and garters to go with the outfit (as though they were even needed by that point). But if nothing else, the little tied ribbon on the shirt was cute.

But in general, the entire outfit could only be described as something an artist might have come up with while attempting to cross a butler's uniform with a swimsuit. Which meant Ritsuka could hardly take him seriously in it when he turned around and his whole back was exposed. Even with his headache, he still managed to laugh. It might have been some sort of erotic cosplay, but Ritsuka didn't quite see it like that.

"Thank you for your hard work today," Ritsuka yawned, stifling another giggle as he put his hand over his mouth. Arthur turned to face him, his lips pursed as though he were waiting to scold Ritsuka once more. But the scolding didn't come this time. Or at least, not for him.

"You seem exhausted, Master. Shall I carry you back to your room," Fionn teased, wrapping an arm around Ritsuka's shoulder. Though he winked, Ritsuka could clearly see he was doing it in a way that made sure Arthur saw. Were it any other day, or any other Servant, Ritsuka might have tried to stop him. But he was too tired right now, and given Arthur's attitude, he might have deserved it just a little bit. Not that Ritsuka could really imagine why he'd care so much about that.

"You won't drop me, will you?" Ritsuka replied, weaseling out of Fionn's grip. "I've got a headache as is, I don't want another one from being dropped on the floor."

"I will take care of my Master," Arthur interrupted, finally stepping forward as his pale gold eyes focused on Fionn's face. Ritsuka couldn't see what sort of expression Fionn was making back at him, but he doubted it was good from how Arthur's upper lip curled back just far enough to show the beginnings of sharpened canine teeth. "After all, as a butler, it is my duty to ensure that he is in good health and looked after."

"And as the leader of the Fianna, it is my job to protect him." Fionn answered steadily. His voice showed no signs of intimidation from Arthur; it was little wonder such a man had managed to lead a band of warriors. He did have some small amount of charisma to him, after all, but only when he kept his mouth shut, Ritsuka thought. "If you wish to play butler, perhaps it might be best if you find somewhere else for now."

The tension in the air thickened and Ritsuka saw Arthur's fingers actually twitch as though he were considering reaching for his sword or gun. But instead, he blinked and smiled widely at both Fionn and Ritsuka.

"You're right, I shouldn't be playing butler while my Master is injured. But such a weakling Master does need extra care, and I doubt that someone such as yourself is capable of doing so. So I'd rather handle it myself." 

Ritsuka sighed, preparing for a fight between the two. But it never quite came to that; it was only by stroke of luck that Diarmuid had still happened to be nearby -- both of them, even. They must have sensed the trouble brewing as they came quickly just as Fionn and Arthur really were reaching for their weapons to pull Fionn away in a hurry.

"Hmph. I expected more from a man who claims to have been the leader of the Fianna," Arthur huffed, crossing his arms as he watched both Diarmuids pull Fionn away. "He needs more discipline if he expects to be a leader of any kind. I'm sure even Diarmuid has noticed that much."

"You aren't exactly one to talk," Ritsuka muttered under his breath, only to shrink back under Arthur's harsh gaze. "A-anyways... My head is still bothering me, so I'm just going to head to bed early... Mashu should be able to help you if you need anything... Mordred can be helpful when he wants to as well."

"I'll go with you. If you were to collapse suddenly, it would be my fault for not taking care of my weakened Master."

"R-really... It's fine. I don't need much help." 

Arthur didn't say anything, but instead lifted Ritsuka up off of his feet, carrying him as though he were a princess. The sudden action startled Ritsuka so badly that he squeaked as he clung to Arthur, fearful that the Servant might actually drop him. But he never did, as scary a face as he made the entire time, he carried Ritsuka carefully back to his bedroom and set him down so gently onto the bed that Ritsuka was honestly convinced that he'd made some mistake and this was the normal Arthur instead.

"There's no point in being hard on you if you're already falling apart this much," Arthur grumbled as he brought Ritsuka his pajamas, waiting for him to change. "Even I know not to push someone until they break." 

Ritsuka sat there dumbstruck, unsure of how to reply to that. Of course, Arthur still wasn't particularly nice to him. 

And he didn't seem to have any intention of getting along. 

But it seemed as though he could be nice if and when he felt like it; even though the circumstances were a little rough...

"Thank you," Ritsuka mumbled back, sliding his clothes off up until he realized Arthur was still standing there staring at him.

"Y-you can leave!"

"I want to make sure you don't faint before you change out of those clothes. They're filthy."

"Then turn around! Don't watch me change!" 

"There's nothing to be shy about. I've already looked through all of your file." Arthur tilted his head, watching confused.

"J-just... Just don't say anything then. Okay?" Ritsuka felt his face heat up as he rushed to change his clothes, throwing the dirty ones to the side in a pile. He didn't care if Arthur thought him a slob; it was better than having to sit there in front of him while he just... watched.

"I don't understand why you're so nervous," Arthur commented, stepping closer until he was at Ritsuka's side. "It's no different than changing in front of the medical staff when they check up on you. Or is it something else that is unnerving you?"

If Arthur could hear his heart racing in his chest, Ritsuka was sure he was going to die. In a way, Arthur wasn't wrong. There wasn't anything weird about changing clothes like this, or at least not too weird. And it wasn't as though Arthur was judging him. But it was impossible not to be shy in front of him. Not when, as Ritsuka looked at him closely, he realized just how beautiful Arthur's face was.

Their foreheads touched and Ritsuka shivered at Arthur's fingers ghosting along the line of his jaw. His eyes were still curious, watching for some sort of reaction from his Master, but his pupils had already dilated from their usual slit-like state.

"It's... nothing. Don't worry about it." Ritsuka began. He choked back all the other words he could have thought of at that time in favor of sitting in silence like this for a while longer. But Arthur withdrew his touch just as quickly as he'd given it.

"I apologize if I... crossed any boundaries." He muttered. Ritsuka looked up to see that his face was just as red, his hand placed over his mouth as though he were still deep in thought. 

"It's fine." Ritsuka squeaked out, burying under the covers quickly. "Good night, Arthur."

"Good night, Ritsuka."

All at once the day's fatigue hit him and Ritsuka was asleep before he even heard the door shut.


End file.
